Rick Patrick
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Dec. 10, 1941, as the rain fell on San Marcelino on the Philippine island of Luzon, a group of young men waited on orders. Among them was a handsome 26 year old West Point graduate from Madison named Colin P. Kelly, Jr. These young men who waited in the rain next to their B-17C bombers were part of the 14th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps. It was only three days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, followed by Japanese attacks on Manila and elsewhere in the Philippines. These attacks by some 400 Japanese planes had left most of the B-17's and pursuit aircraft in ruins.
Then, Squadron Commander Maj. Emmett “Rosy” O'Donnell, Jr. radioed for the squadron to proceed to Clark Field, near Manila, at daybreak. Only three of the B-17's were allowed to land at Clark Field. One of those B-17's was flown by Kelly, who was one of the most experienced and respected pilots in the 19th Bomb Group. An imminent Japanese attack forced Kelly to take off without refueling or rearming. This meant he only had three 600 pound bombs in his payload and he would have to make the best of them. Kelly took off for his initial target, the airfields on Formosa, which were some 500 miles north of Clark Field. This would be a daunting task, to say the least. Formosa was deep into territory in which Japan enjoyed air superiority, with no fighter escort. On his way to Formosa, Kelly spotted a large Japanese landing in progress at Aparri on the northern coast of Luzon. Presence of an enemy carrier was also reported in the area. Could this be one of the carriers responsible for the Pearl Harbor attack?
Kelly radioed for permission to attack the landing party, which included a large ship, thought to be a battleship, bombarding the coast. After two calls to Clark Field that brought only responses to stand by, Kelly decided to commence an attack on the battleship, which actually turned out to be the Japanese cruiser Natori. Kelly passed over the ship twice in order to allow bombardier, Sgt. Meyer Levin a chance to aim his bomb sights. Kelly's plane dropped their bombs, scoring one direct hit on the Japanese warship. Smoke prevented a more accurate assessment of the damage done. With the bomb bay empty, Kelly turned his B-17 back toward Clark Field.
As they approached Clark Field, Kelly's plane was attacked by Japanese fighter planes. The first attack killed Tech Sgt. William Delehanty, wounded Private First Class (Pfc.) Robert Altman, and destroyed the plane's instrument panel. A second attack set the plane's left wing ablaze. Flames quickly spread through the fuselage filling the plane with smoke.
Kelly ordered the crew to bail out while he could still control the plane. As flames began to engulf the flight deck, Staff Sgt. James Halkyard, Pfc. Willard Money, and Pfc. Altman jumped out the rear. Navigator, 2nd Lt. Joe Bean and Sgt. Levin managed to pry open a stuck escape hatch, don their parachutes and bail out of the doomed plane.
The nose of the aircraft was by this time a blazing inferno as Kelly desperately kept control long enough for his co-pilot, 2nd Lt. Donald Robins to make his way out of the upper escape hatch. Then the B-17 exploded hurling Robins' badly burned body clear of the plane. Kelly's B-17 crashed about five miles from Clark Field. Kelly's body was found at the crash site.
Kelly was recommended to receive the Medal of Honor by Maj. Gen. Lewis H Brereton, commander of the U.S. East Air Forces. Kelly did receive the Distinguished Service Cross on orders from the headquarters of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
The next time you make your way up Colin P Kelly Hwy., please take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice that Capt. Kelly made for his country and for his friends.
Submitted Photo
Colin P. Kelly, a Madison native and West Point graduate was one of the first American heroes in the early days of World War II.
Submitted Photo
Painting by Deane Keller honoring Madison native Colin P. Kelly. In the early days of World War II, Kelly became an instant American hero.